Viking athletics: from then to now

So many students who walk the halls of Del Mar College lack school pride. Few students I have spoken with know  that our college has a mascot (yes, we do – we're the Vikings) and fewer knew that we once had competitive NCAA sports that won bowl games and produced elite athletes. All that remains now are remnants from those  bowl games and an Intramurals Department.

Del Mar College, originally named Corpus Christi Junior College, was established in 1935 under control of the  board of Trustees of the Corpus Christi Independent School District, although Junior College District and CCISD  taxes were collected separately.

Superintendent of the School District E. H. Hereford also served as president of the junior college. The school's  name was changed in 1948 to Del Mar College, and in 1951 the college became an independent political  subdivision, legally the Corpus Christi Junior College District, governed by a locally-elected board of regents.

Before the college became DMC, the college had an athletic department that put the Vikings on the NCAA map. From 1946 to 1960, DMC Vikings football and basketball teams fought hard to prove Del Mar was not just a fluke of a college but a force to be reckoned with.

So, why did DMC let its thriving NCAA department go? South Texas is known for baseball. Carroll High School's baseball team won the 5A State Championship in 2010, the Kansas City Royals drafted Carroll Center Fielder  Mark Blackmar in the 34th round, and Robstown's baseball program has a history of winning State  championships and a reputation for a strong baseball program.

The college should at least offer baseball. What athletic Vikings alumni walked these halls before us? What happened to the NCAA program here? Where does our Intramural Department stand today? Tune in to the Foghorn weekly to learn about our athletic department's past and future.